Road is rough on Cardinal baseball club

Home was sweet, but the road continues to be rugged for the Medical Lake baseball team as it opened play in the Northeast A League last week.

With rain playing havoc with a number of contests, among them their NEA opener March 24 versus Newport, and a nonleague game last Wednesday versus St. Maries, the Cardinals did find weather pleasant enough to play three games.

They used a big hitting day pounding out 13 hits in a 15-5 win March 26 at home with Newport. That, however, was followed with a trip to Colville March 28 where the newest members of the NEA swept a doubleheader 9-3 and 4-3.

The Cardinals jumped on Grizzly pitching for five runs in both the first and second innings, erasing a 3-0 Newport lead. Philip Murray was 3 for 4, including a triple and scored twice. Tyler Munden and Jacob Steinmetz each had a pair of hits.

“Phillip Murray remains one of our hottest hitters,” Medical Lake head coach Kerry Kelly said.

Dylan Rushfeldt scored three times while Jayln Musser, Tristin Keith, Cory Wagner and Hudson Petek each scored twice. Petek also had four RBIs, the big blow a triple.

“Hudson has really been driving the ball all over the field,” Kelly said.

Saturday at Colville (3-0 NEA, 5-0 overall), Brayden Hale had another strong pitching performance against the Indians in the second game. Hale pitched in the 4-3 loss giving up just three hits and no earned runs in five innings.

“Offensively he chipped in with solid at bats,” Kelly said.

Medical Lake (1-2, 2-3) scrambled to tie the game with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, but Colville answered with the eventual winning run in their half of the inning.

The Cardinals outhit the Indians 8-5 with Cole Soliday ending the game going 3 for 4. Murray was 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored. Hale and Petek each had doubles.

Wagner pitched the opener going four innings and giving up six runs, four of them earned. “Cory has pitched well but he’s unlucky with two losses,” Kelly said.

Following a March 31 league game with Newport (0-2, 0-2), and an April 2 game versus Chewelah (2-2, 2-2), Medical Lake hosts a pair of Caribou Trail League teams, Chelan and Cashmere in a Saturday doubleheader at noon and 6 p.m. They are then off until April 14.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.